Martial God Regressed to Level 2

[Translator - Asura]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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Side Story 42

[So, straight to the point...]

Blink. Blink.

The eye of light flickered, glowing pure white and then dimming repeatedly.

[First, I'd like to express my gratitude, Master.]

"Gratitude?"

[Yes. Although Mitra's will was completely annihilated when the Ark collapsed...]

Flash...!

The eye of light stopped blinking and stared directly at Seong Jihan.

[Thanks to you, I was able to resurrect.]

"You were resurrected because of me...?"

[Yes. That's why I call you Master.]

Unlike before, Mitra was being extremely polite.

Was he acting this way because he was resurrected thanks to him?

"I had no intention of resurrecting you."

[Indeed, since you didn't directly command it.]

"What kind of wordplay is this?"

[See for yourself.]

Then.

Buzzing...

A screen appeared in front of the eye of light.

On it.

Inside the Ark, Seong Jihan and Jiang Shang were having a serious conversation.

-Is fully controlling Infinite... that difficult?

-I'm ashamed to admit it, but yes. Inside the Ark, the power of the Transcendent is so strong that Infinite's power is relatively suppressed. But once we leave here, it won't be easy to control.

-I see…

-But don't worry too much. If it comes down to it, I'll seal it and die. More importantly, shouldn't we focus on the problems we're facing now?

-You're right.

Ending the conversation by suggesting they'd worry about Infinite later.

As Seong Jihan watched this scene himself.

"Ah..."@@novelbin@@

He realized why he couldn't remember this.

"I intentionally erased it from my memory."

Although Jiang Shang said he'd try to stop it even at the cost of his life.

At that time, Seong Jihan, who had accepted the authority of light and reached the pinnacle of all talents, thought,

-...I don't think we can stop it if the worst happens.

He predicted that if the worst-case scenario occurred, they wouldn't be able to stop Infinite.

For now, it was suppressed inside the Ark.

But once Infinite was unleashed into the world, it had the potential to return everything to nothingness.

Even after solving the Mitra problem, this could become a ticking time bomb.

But at that time, Seong Jihan decided.

-Right now, the Transcendent's problem comes first. We can't let distractions interfere.

He intentionally erased information about Infinite from his memory.

It was overwhelming enough to solve the problems in the Ark without thinking about what came next.

Furthermore, if he retained this memory when confronting the Transcendent, he worried about potential side effects.

However.

[Simply erasing the memory wasn't enough. The Transcendent could read your deep-seated worries and concerns residing in your subconscious.]

"You're saying the Transcendent read my worries about Infinite?"

[That's correct.]

The Transcendent, who sealed himself according to Seong Jihan's command.

But even in the midst of that, he read Seong Jihan's concerns.

And began to find a way to solve them.

The conclusion the Transcendent reached was simple.

[To deal with Infinite, you must fully comprehend it and seal it together with Jiang Shang... or revive the authority of light.]

Either master Infinite and assist Jiang Shang in sealing it.

Or accept the power of light again.

That was the answer the Transcendent derived even as he was being sealed in the Tower of the Martial God.

"...So that's why this world was created?"

A world designed so you could master Infinite.

Yet also, a world where the White Light existed.

Was it created by a fragment of the Transcendent?

However.

There was one thing he couldn't understand.

"Then, Mitra, why are you able to act like this?"

[The rampant Infinite, free from the suppression of the Ark, reached a level that couldn't be easily dealt with. The Transcendent needed to recover some of his former power.]

Then, the eye of light blinked.

[And to restore the Transcendent's power, of course he needed his former designer... The Transcendent restored the deleted data and revived me.]

"Heh... I told him to delete you, and he restored you?"

[But rest assured. I cannot rebel against you. Honestly, I have no intention of doing so.]

Buzzzz...!

Then, below the eye, a trajectory of light appeared.

The semicircle of light.

It was similar to the smiling emoticon Mitra had been sending before.

[Now, you have two choices before you.]

Then, another screen appeared.

On it.

Yoon Seah was shown crouching beside the Witch of the Void.

At the bottom of the Abyss, where the statue of the Witch of the Void stood.

Wrapped in a purple aura, she was staring only at the ground.

[The first choice is to cut down Yoon Seah. By doing so, you'll achieve Emotionlessness and ultimately master Infinite.]

Then, Mitra's semicircle flashed brightly.

As if mocking.

[But this won't be completed in just one attempt. How could you achieve Emotionlessness by simply cutting down a mere niece? She's neither your parent nor your child.]

"That means..."

[You'd need to go through dozens or hundreds of such simulations. Only then could you possibly reach Infinite.]

So merely cutting down Yoon Seah once wasn't enough.

He'd have to repeat this process dozens, even hundreds of times.

'Not just once... this over and over again...?'

As Seong Jihan bit his lip.

[The second choice is much easier.]

Bzzzz...

Then, another screen appeared.

On it.

An image of the sun appeared.

[Touch the sun and accept the authority of light once again.]

[Translator - Asura]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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'So a fragment of the Transcendent was there.'

The Transcendent, fragmented and sealed within the Tower of the Martial God.

In this world, it was sealed within the sun.

'If I have to choose between the two... the latter is overwhelmingly easier.'

Resetting this simulation world and cutting down Yoon Seah dozens or hundreds of times.

Or touching the sun and reabsorbing the White Light.

Which was easier was as clear as day.

[Accept the authority of light, regain the power of creation. Then, isolate Jiang Shang and Infinite with the power of light. As for that woman... do as you wish. You can bring her into reality, or simply maintain this world.]

"This isn't about dealing with Infinite; it's just a means for the Transcendent to resurrect."

[And you are the master of the Transcendent. This is merely the process of reclaiming your sealed power due to the variable of Infinite.]

Then, Mitra's mouth shape flashed again.

[And... may I share my honest thoughts?]

"What is it?"

[What significance does a mere niece have? Do you think you can achieve Emotionlessness by cutting down such a woman? Even after dozens or hundreds of simulations, it might be impossible. The simulations might eventually involve your parents, children, or lovers... I recommend avoiding unnecessary hardships.]

Mitra was trying to persuade him to take the easy path, saying that cutting down a niece wouldn't lead to Emotionlessness.

Indeed, considering what he had done to his own daughter.

He wouldn't think that cutting down a mere niece would lead someone to achieve Emotionlessness.

"Right. The easy path is this one..."

But why had he tried so hard to seal the Transcendent back in the Ark?

Because he judged that accepting this would overturn the existing real world.

Just as Mitra had annihilated his own humanity and created the Transcendent.

'And even now, that thought hasn't changed.'

If he simply accepted the White Light and reactivated the Transcendent.

Even if it seemed manageable at first.

Surely, he would eventually walk a path similar to Mitra's.

This wasn't mere speculation or concern; it was a certainty.

Accepting the White Light meant.

Ultimately giving up on the real world entirely.

'But if I don't accept the White Light, the only way to stop Infinite is the former...'

He'd have to repeat this mission world countless times.

Continuously killing Yoon Seah to reach Emotionlessness.

And to maximize its effect, he'd have to kill her while fully realizing that she's the Yoon Seah from the first round.

The Yoon Seah from his previous life was his lingering regret.

The person he felt the most guilt and regret toward in his life.

That was why she was made the target.

'...But something's bothering me.'

He understood that Infinite was the problem.

And the two proposed solutions had their logic.

But then why?

"Why did I regain my emotions while acting in this world?"

[That's...]

"To achieve Emotionlessness, I should become more numb to stimuli, shouldn't I? Why bother restoring me from that state?"

At Seong Jihan's question.

The semicircle mouth below the eye subtly drooped.

Then, after a brief silence.

[Well... to experience the loss of something precious, you first need to know what 'precious' means, don't you? If you remain indifferent, you wouldn't even feel such emotions.]

Unlike before, when he spoke with certainty, Mitra was now merely speculating.

"You... don't really know, do you?"

[Honestly, I'd like to deceive you, but I cannot lie in front of you. Actually, that area is not under my jurisdiction, so I don't know.]

From this, it seemed that his earlier talk about being his master wasn't entirely false.

Seong Jihan looked at the gradually drooping mouth of his opponent with a meaningful gaze.

"You don't know..."

[Yes.]

"Then, what's your true purpose, Mitra? Answer honestly."

At this question.

The semicircle of light gradually drooped, the smile disappearing.

It became a straight line.

[...My purpose is to inject my code into your mind when you regain the power of the Transcendent.]

"Your code?"

[Yes. But please don't be too wary. As the Creator, you need a companion. I'm the only one qualified for that role.]

Even in this situation, he was talking about being his companion.

Moreover, once he regained the authority of light.

He might not realize it at first, but eventually, he might manifest Mitra's code stored in his memory and resurrect him.

They had said that both were needed to fully operate the Transcendent.

"Whatever. So you don't know much about the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Diagram?"

[That's correct.]

"Then who has jurisdiction over that?"

[...That is...]

Unwilling to answer, the speed at which Mitra's words appeared slowed.

Seeing this, Seong Jihan smirked.

"You say I'm your master? Stop loading needlessly and answer. Specify the location clearly."

[...Understood.]

Buzzzz...!

At Seong Jihan's command, Mitra displayed a screen.

What appeared there was.

[The one in charge of the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Diagram is the Martial God Dongbang Sak.]

Dongbang Sak was shown, sitting cross-legged, floating in the air.

'As expected, it's him...'

He now understood why this mission world was created to stop Infinite.

But if he truly intended to achieve Emotionlessness.

Was it necessary for his lost emotions to return during the process?

Mitra's explanation sounded plausible.

'But it was speculation, not certainty.'

Mitra, who functioned as the system in this world.

If even the all-knowing him didn't know this information, he had to confirm it himself.

'I need to meet Dongbang Sak.'

To do that, he'd have to go to the bottom of the Abyss.

Flash...!

Seong Jihan immediately opened a portal leading to the Abyss.

[Translator - Asura]

[Proofreader - Gun]

w